Rihanna stalker 'a ticking time bomb,' says NYC judge

NEW YORK: A New York City judge ordered a man to stay away from pop star Rihanna after he was arrested for lurking outside her Manhattan apartment building and sending threatening letters.

Kevin McGlynn in September was found unfit to stand trial on stalking charges and committed to a psychiatric hospital in Staten Island. He has filed a petition seeking release.

In a decision released earlier on Friday, Judge Orlando Marrazzo said the order would allow police to arrest McGlynn if he goes near the singer’s home, instead of having to wait for him to do something more dangerous. McGlynn is also barred from contacting Rihanna by phone, mail or computer.

Marrazzo said McGlynn, 54, wrote a series of notes to the singer that made references to murder and sexual assault. He also accused Rihanna and other artists of using his material in their songs, the judge said.

In his decision, Marrazzo compared McGlynn to Mark David Chapman, who shot and killed John Lennon.

“He appears to be a ticking time bomb who is wholly fixated on (Rihanna), and poses a direct threat of serious physical harm or death to her and anyone around her,” he wrote.

McGlynn’s attorneys, who work for a state-run mental health agency, did not return requests for comment.

Rihanna, 26, is one of the best-selling musical acts of the last decade and has won seven Grammy awards.

The case is In the Matter of the Application for the Release of Kevin M., New York State Supreme Court, Richmond County, No. 3328-2014. -Reuters